This study examined whether neighborhood social support played a positive role inmental health even during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period when people's behavior and physical contacts were restricted owing to social distancing and staying at home. Based on survey data (n=4,100) collected in Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, a moderated mediation analysis was used to examine whether perceived neighborhood social support reduced the negative impact of stressors on mental health. The results indicate that both staying at home and COVID-19-related daily life concerns were positively associated with mental health deterioration, and that perceived neighborhood social support had a stress-buffering effect on the positive association between COVID-19-related daily life concerns and mental health deterioration. Considering that the level of perceived neighborhood social support did not decrease during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period, the results suggest that perceived neighborhood social support is instrumental in mental health during the pandemic.

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